Sometimes, it’s necessary to pack a smaller kit. Whether it’s due to travel constraints, or you just want more flexibility in the field, packing light is an important photography skill. We’ll take a look at the tricks we use to slim down our kits.
Sunflowers stand in morning light before a backdrop of lupines and more near Crested Butte, Colorado
An incredible floral display in the Colorado high country
2019 was my fifth consecutive wildflower/macro photo safari, and boy was it ever amazing! The long, wet spring we had this year meant that the blooms around Crested Butte were off the chart. Unlike previous years, where we had to go up above 10,000′ to find the best blooms, this year’s spectacle was in full swing all around Crested Butte.
Richardson’s Geranium
Crested Butte, Colorado, is sometimes referred to as the “wildflower capital of the USA,” and this year proved why. The hillsides were covered in color; yellow sunflowers interspersed with blue and purple lupines transformed the valleys into a painter’s palette. We also encountered glacier lilies, red and sulphur paintbrush, fairy trumpets, and of course, Colorado columbine.
The hillsides were literally painted with color this year!
Our shooting sessions took place every morning and afternoon, and during the day, I worked with my clients to help them perfect their workflow/keywording and image processing. We also learned how to perform focus-stacking with close-up and landscape subjects.
Lupine, sunflowers, and fairy trumpets fill the meadows near Gothic, Colorado
I just returned from my 5th annual Colorado Wildflower Photo Safari, and all I can say is, “wow!” I had a hunch the flowers would be great this year, but I wasn’t prepared for the spectacle around Crested Butte. The hillsides were literally exploding with color!
Tech Specs
Nikon Z7 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens, 5-shot focus stack 1/250s f/8 ISO 125 @17mm
There’s nothing like the colors that you’ll find high in the Colorado rockies in the summer. This year’s winter delivered the much-needed snowpack in the high country, so I’m optimistic about this summer’s wildflower blooms. One of the best locations to find wildflowers in Colorado is around the town of Crested Butte. While there are certainly many famous locations for Colorado wildflowers, many of them require serious 4WD vehicles to reach. At Crested Butte, I’ve scouted the surrounding areas and pretty much every site I visit can be reached by a standard vehicle.
Shooting Specs
Nikon D810 with Niko 105mm f/2.8 AFS G VR micro-Nikkor
1/125s f/16 ISO 1100
You can join me here in July 2019 to photograph these wonderful blooms and learn all about creative close-up photography.
I love it when I can capture interactions in nature. This bumblebee had no issues with being photographed on my 2018 Colorado Wildflower Safari. Spaces are available to join me there on this year’s workshop, where you’ll learn creative close-up techniques and photograph the summer wildflower blooms in the Rocky Mountains.
